Steven Spielberg Takes on DC's Blackhawk Movie

Warner Bros. announced today that they are teaming up with director Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Entertainment company on an adaptation of the DC Comics title Blackhawk, following their successful collaboration on the box office hit Ready Player One. Spielberg has been set to produce Blackhawk with an eye to direct, marking the iconic filmmaker's first time making a movie centered on characters from the DC Comics. Here's what Toby Emmerich, Chairman, Warner Bros. Pictures Group, had to say in a brief statement about the news.

"We are so proud to be the studio behind Steven Spielberg's latest hit, and are thrilled to be working with him again on this new action adventure. We can't wait to see what new ground he will break in introducing 'Blackhawk' to movie audiences worldwide."

The screenplay for Blackhawk is being written by David Koepp, which marks his seventh collaboration with Steven Spielberg. Koepp has written Spielberg-directed blockbusters such as Jurassic Park, The Lost World: Jurassic Park II, War of the Worlds and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and he is also written the upcoming Indiana Jones 5 script that Spielberg will direct from. Here's what Spielberg himself had to say in a brief statement.

"It was wonderful working with the team at Warner Bros. to bring Ready Player One to the screen. They bring a blend of passion and professionalism to everything they do and have a tremendous history in this genre. I am excited to reunite with them on Blackhawk."

While this announcement was made official by Warner Bros. today, Blackhawk may not be hitting theaters for quite some time. The announcement confirmed that the director's next two projects are the new Indiana Jones sequel and the long-awaited remake of the 1961 classic West Side Story. Indiana Jones 5 has been set for release by Disney on July 10, 2020, although 20th Century Fox has not set a release date for West Side Story at this time. If West Side Story arrives in either 2021 or 2022, then we may not see Black Hawk until 2023 or 2024.

Warner Bros.' announcement also didn't indicate whether or not Blackhawk will be part of the studio's DCEU lineup, alongside Justice League and Wonder Woman, or if it will be set aside from that superhero universe. The studio recently brought on Walter Hamada to serve as president of DC Films, overseeing the DCEU, and there has been talk that the studio will be developing other DC properties that will exist outside of the DCEU timeline, so it's possible that Blackhawk could be one of those projects.

Blackhawk was created by Chuck Cuidera, Bob Powell and Will Eisner, making his debut in the Quality Comics title Military Comics #1 in October 1941. When Quality Comics folded in December 1956, the company's characters were initially leased to DC, before being bought outright, and Blackhawk was one of the few titles that DC kept running uninterrupted. Blackhawk is one of just four comics to be published in its own series from the 1940s through the 1960s, with the only other titles being Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman. The Blackhawk comics center on a mysterious man known only as Blackhawk, who leads a group of World War II-era pilots known as the Blackhawks Squadron on missions to combat tyranny and oppression. Hopefully we'll find out more from Warner Bros. soon in regards to this Blackhawk adaptation.